


Grudge of the Black Mage

by WrestleCrazyGamer



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, Gen, Original Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:09:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29649051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WrestleCrazyGamer/pseuds/WrestleCrazyGamer
Summary: Tiberius L. Morrigan is a black mage who used to be in the Hero's Party. Seven years ago, he black listed them and swore off ever partying with others again. Through some convincing from a colleague though, he's giving a greenhorn a single chance. He's not going to hold his breath that he'll have a good time partying with her, especially when their numbers begin to grow. In fact he more than expects to wind up experiencing more of what made him blacklist the hero.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Persistence

“ _A-Are you sure about this…? Isn’t that a bit extreme…? I’m sure if you talk it out you can-_ ”

“ _Do you think I’d be at this point if they’d listen to what I have to say!? Remove me from their party and blacklist them from partying with me again! Automatically reject any other party invites I get for that matter!_ ”

It was a sunny day in the Western Woods. In a clearing stood a log cabin. Sleeping cozy in a bed with red linens with a young man with short messy black hair. His sleep was interrupted by knocking on the door. He turned, ignoring it at first. The knocking kept up though, so he begrudgingly opened his baby blue eyes. Sitting up showed he sleeps in black pants with a long-sleeved red cloth shirt. He slipped his feet into blue slippers with stars on them before walking to the front door. When he opened it he was greeted by a sight that bothered him.

Standing there was a teenage girl with long braided caramel brown hair and fair skin. She was dressed in dark brown leather boots, tan slightly baggy pants with two red belts, a form-fitting white shirt, a tan leather vest, and black gloves. At her side was a simple broadsword and on her right arm was a simple metal buckler. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she’s an adventurer, and a rookie at that.

“Wow… Tiberius L. Morrigan… Gold Rank Black Mage in the guild, youngest to attain the rank of Lord High Lord of Black Magicks at the Magician’s College, and member of the Hero’s Party… in the flesh.” she spoke with star-struck eyes.

“ _Former_ member. Can I help you…?” he questioned, irritated by the mention of the hero’s party.

“Oh right! I am Cynthia Martin, Soil Rank Magic Knight from Polka Village. On my own I’m no different from a regular Knight, but with the help of a Black Mage I can-” she began to introduce herself when the door closed.

“No.”

“At least let me finish! I worked hard on my introduction and party request! Please?!” she cried, hugging the door.

“I have better things to do with my time than listen to the long winded explanation of why you need my skill set. It’s kid stuff, literally _everyone_ knows why Magic Knights synergize with Black Mages. As far as party invites go, I work alone.” he lectured through the door.

“What?! A Black Mage working alone defies Party Basics 101! You need a Tank to draw aggro, a DPS to crowd control, a Caster to assist with buffs and AOE’s for groups, and a Healer to keep everybody healthy!” she exclaimed in shock.

“It isn’t as difficult to do as you might think. When you know elemental weakness and what debuffs can turn the fight in your favor, you can accomplish all kinds of things.” he scoffed.

“Come on, why so averse to partying…? Is it because I’m a greenhorn…?” she whimpered.

“Partying… has never been good for me. Too many differing opinions. Too little rewards. Not enough cooperation. It all leads to someone getting shafted, and that leads to bad blood. Sorry. I refuse.” he told her.

She left after that, and his day was peaceful again. Studying magic tomes and old languages, practicing his wood carving skills, trying out alchemic formulae, and cooking. He’s passed the days like this for some time now. A recluse as he always was, till that day anyway.

“ _You saved my ass there. You’ve got skill. How about being my Black Mage? I could use your power in my quest to stop the Demon King._ ”

He hates it when he remembers that time in his life. 

“Never again.” he sighed.

The following morning, his door was knocked on again. Once more Tiberius woke from slumber, agitated. He opened the door and who should be there again but Cynthia. At the other side of her hip now was a pocket grimoire. They are primarily used to cast quick self-targeting buffs that only last for a short while, anywhere between 30 seconds to 100 seconds. They’re a Magic Knight’s best friend when the party’s mage is busy casting AOE spells, buffing allies, or debuffing enemies.

“Mr. Morrigan, I formally request to form a party. Your wisdom is invaluable as a long-time guild member.” Cynthia spoke, trying to sound professional.

“No.” he replied, closing the door again.

“Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaase…? I’ve asked all the other Black Mages in the guild and they’re all saying to ‘get a more experienced mage to put up with you’, all because I’m a greenhorn. A non-mage like me can’t even get into the Magician’s College to ask its high ranking members for help.” she cried.

“ _I see that Mage Elitism is still alive and well…_ ”

“Stay there a moment.” he ordered.

“Y-Yes sir!” she flinched.

He then began rummaging through his drawers and shelves. When he uncovered a gold ring with a red insignia on it he grabbed it and returned to the door. He then opened it and gave the ring to her.

“That is a Mage’s Guest Ring. It’ll make them stand aside for you at the Magician’s College. Now you can ask those mages to help you.” he told her.

“Ah! T-Thank you!” she exclaimed, bowing.

“Good. Now shoo. Don’t worry about returning the ring.” he nodded, closing the door.

The Magician’s College is one of the largest buildings in the city of Martyr Maria, second only to the royal family’s summer mansion. The college itself resembles a gothic mansion. Mages guard the doors and usually only let other mages in. When Cynthia approached and presented the Mage’s Guess Ring, however, they begrudgingly stood aside for her. Entering the building her nose was greeted by the various scents left behind from constant spellcasting and potion making. Brooms and dustpans with the “Animate” spell cast on them were sweeping the floors without any assistance. Looking up, feather dusters were dusting without any help too.

“Can I help you?” a voice spoke.

That made Cynthia realize she was walking without direction. The one who addressed her was a mature witch with short purple hair and tan skin. She wore thigh length black boots, a red and purple long-sleeved dress with splits in the side of the skirt to show her legs, black gloves, and a large wide-brimmed wizarding hat with intentional rips in it resembling eyes and teeth. Lining the belt around her waist were magical tomes. Anyone would recognize her, for she is Aurelia Yen Sid the Witch. Like Tiberius, she is a Lord High Lord of Black Magicks. She used to adventure, but has recently settled down to teach the next generation of mages.

“Y-Yes, I am Cynthia Martin, Soil Class Adventurer. I’m looking for a black mage to partner with.” she replied, taking a formal stance while placing her hand over her heart.

“I see. Unfortunately, all of our low rank members are too green to be any help to you right now. They can barely form a fireball, much less familiars that are any help on an adventure.” she told her.

“A-Are there no others willing to party… urgh… with a greenhorn…?” Cynthia asked, hating having to use that word.

“I don’t want to give you any false hope. The mages that weren’t taught by me are… let’s face it, full of themselves. Your chances are extremely low. I would help you gain some experience, but unfortunately as a teacher I cannot abandon my post.” Aurelia sighed, shaking her head.

“I understand...” Cynthia nodded, looking hurt.

“I take it you already asked Tiberius to be your ally?” she asked.

“He’s the one who sent me here, after rejecting me twice.” Cynthia replied.

“Seven years later and he’s still carrying that grudge, huh…? It’s currently lunch break for the next thirty minutes, so let me talk to him. I can’t promise anything but if nothing else he’ll at least hear me out, one Lord High Lord to another. Can you wait at the guild for me?” Aurelia told her.

“Yes! T-Thank you, ma’am!” she bowed respectfully.

At Tiberius’s cabin, he was reading through some tomes when Aurelia teleported her way in. He didn’t flinch, he didn’t exclaim, he simply sighed in exasperation as he closed his tome.

“What do you want, Aurelia…?” he asked without turning.

“I came to tell you to go help that girl.” Aurelia replied.

“Not even being formal about it, very professional.” he huffed.

“You hate formal requests, so I said it casually. You should be grateful I remembered. What’s it been, seven years since we last saw each other face to face? You suddenly came back, moved out of the college, and magicked up a cabin without so much as a word to anybody.” she pouted.

“Where I live and who I speak to are my business.” Tiberius growled.

“Tiberius, come on. You can lend your talents to a greenhorn at the least.” Aurelia told him.

“I don’t have to lend my talents to anyone.” Tiberius retorted.

“I know that, but whatever the hero’s party was like… you can’t honestly believe that every party you’re in will be like that can you?” she asked.

“You don’t know a damn thing about what that was like!” he roared as he whirled to face her, catching her off guard.

“Tiberius…”

“That ‘hero’ is no better than the Demon King! All adventurers aspire to be like them?! I can expect to be mistreated again then! Even if someone holds good party morals at first, it’s only a matter of time until those start to fade away! I refuse to feel that pain again!” he continued.

“Just what did the hero’s party _do_ to you…?” she asked.

“You can ask the guild about that. They have my full report, dates and times included.” he replied.

“I’ll look into that. If the hero really did something so horrible that you blacklisted them, they need to feel the repercussions of that. All that I ask in return is that you at least give that greenhorn a chance. A chance to show you she’s different. If nothing else she’ll get some of the experience she desperately needs to grow. It should get the other mages to give her a shot.” Aurelia proposed to him.

“Fine. One chance. I won’t hold my breath that she won’t blow it.” he told her.

“Good. Grab your things.” she smiled.

“Why?” he questioned.

“I told her to wait at the guild, so we’ll teleport together. The day is still young, after all. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to get some kiddie dungeons done.” she replied.

“Pile on more demands why don’t you…” he frowned.

He opened a cabinet and inside was his staff. It had a stem made from a black wood with red marks here and there. Inlaid in the tip was a three-toed claw made from crystal. Clutched in the claw was a closed eyeball. He hesitated grabbing it at first, but managed to pull it out. Behind it was his wizard’s cowl, a black garment that raises one’s ability to channel magical energy while appearing to be a mantle-like hood accessory. Tiberius hasn’t worn this in seven years, so he had to dust it off before putting it on. The last thing to grab was a red belt with a jet black tome bearing a rose on the cover dangling from it. His all-important book of spells. This particular book is known as Rosethorne’s Dark Secrets, a book of advanced magic spells that even most scholars find difficult to decipher. Wizards love their coded writing, after all. He then stepped close to her so she could cast Group Teleport.

The guild building is large, though dwarfed by the college and royal summer home. Inside you can always find adventurers living it up either before or after a request. The guild of this city in particular is known as The Swallow’s Nest. Cynthia was anxiously waiting on the first floor by the Party Formation Counter. Manning the counter was an elf girl with long crimson hair and pale skin. She was dressed in a black suit with a red coat, the staple outfit of guild staff. She jumped a little when Aurelia and Tiberius warped in. Teleportation is a normal occurrence in guilds, so it didn’t disrupt the goings ons at all.

“There you are. I’ve come to an arrangement with Tiberius. He will party with you for a time. Remember your party etiquette now.” Aurelia smiled.

“Yes ma’am.” she saluted.

“Tiberius…? You’re partying with someone?!” the elf girl behind the party formation counter exclaimed.

“Don’t make it a bigger deal than it is and just get the party gems.” he scolded.

“R-Right away.” she nodded, rushing to the shelves.

“So cold, Tiberius. You can’t blame Mimi for getting excited.” Aurelia giggled.

Mimi then handed Tiberius and Cynthia each a clear prismatic crystal that fits perfectly in the palm of their hands, no larger than grapes. The two then touched their crystals together, turning them blue.

“There. Now we’re registered in the system.” Tiberius told her.

“Eh? It’s that easy?!” Cynthia gasped in shock.

“So, where to? I assume one of the beginner dungeons.” he sighed.

“To the Glowing Cavern. I already finished Flower Fields. It’s how I afforded my mini-tome.” she smiled.

“Did you defeat the Flower Fields boss already?” he asked.

“Boss?” she replied, cocking her head in confusion.

“The boss that respawns each time the boss room is entered. Every dungeon has one, no exceptions.” he told her.

“How can that be then…? The guild registers that I beat the dungeon and is letting me go to Glowing Cavern now.” she questioned, crossing her arms while trying to think.

“Mimi, bring up Cynthia’s information.” he ordered the counter girl.

“Okay.” she nodded.

With a wave of her hand, a green sigil appeared in the air. It then displayed Cynthia’s adventurer information.

_Name: Martin, Cynthia_

_Class: Mage Knight - Tier 1_

_Rank: Soil_

_Lvl: 2_

_Hp: 250/250_

_Mp: 35/35_

_Atk: 10_

_M.Atk: 8_

_Df: 7_

_M.Df: 7_

_Lck: 3_

_To Next: 170_

_Main: Copper Broadsword+0 (Atk+5)_

_Sub: Vacant_

_Head: Vacant_

_Body: Adventure Garb+0 (Df+3, M.Df+1)_

_Feet: Adventure Boots+0 (Df+1)_

_Accessory 1: Beginner’s Guide to Atk Up (Gain Ability: Heat Up)_

_Accessory 2: Vacant_

_Ring: Vacant_

_Abilities: Flaming Sword (Combo, Requires: Fireball, Cost: 5Mp)._

_Dungeon Permissions: Flower Fields, Glowing Cavern._

“Hmm… that’s strange. You did enter a room with two large blue double doors right?” he asked Cynthia.

“Yeah. They were already open when I got there.” she nodded.

“Open…? You should have gotten a boss key to open the door, that’s how it’s always worked. Dungeons instance per party, so if you were alone no one could have interfered.” he spoke, closing his eyes to try and think.

“Sounds like foul play.” Aurelia stated.

“Cynthia, do you mind returning to the dungeon so I can investigate?” he asked her.

“Not at all. I don’t want to progress without properly finishing the dungeon.” she shook her head.

In this world, there are anomalies born of the Demon King’s power seeping out from the Netherworld he rules from. These anomalies are known as Dungeons. Inside of these anomalies are abominations known as Dungeon Monsters, born of the Human World’s mana and the Netherworld’s mana trying to make sense of their shape and conflicting due to being different worlds. At the core of these dungeons are horrifically strong monsters known as ‘Bosses’. Once slain, access to a chamber known as the Treasury is granted. Inside are treasures of varying value. Adventurers often use them to gain strength to protect towns in the real world. The strange thing no one can determine, is why these dungeons seem to reset after clearing them. Pretending as if no one had even been inside them. After one group has gone in, oddly enough, the door inside seals itself until either that group leaves or finishes the dungeon.

Flower Fields is one such dungeon that is close to Martyr Maria and well suited to beginners. In fact most towns have dungeons near them that are good for greenhorns to get some experience. That being said, a party is definitely recommended once you are past that first dungeon. Death is not uncommon, but there are naturally worse fates than death in this world. Flower Fields in particular is an Illusion Type Dungeon, appearing to not be as it seems. The dungeon entrance looks like an unassuming greenhouse in the middle of nowhere. Inside the dungeon is where it gets its name, rooms appear to be fields of flowers.

“This place always smells pleasant at the least, and it’s only populated by slimes.” Cynthia smiled, taking in a deep breath.

“Slimes can be dangerous in number.” Tiberius retorted, wearing a mask to cover his nose and mouth.

“What’s wrong?” she questioned.

“Cursed with the common allergy to pollen… which it seems you lack.” he replied, starting to walk through the flowers.

“Yeah, the only thing I’m allergic to is scorpion venom. Found that one out thanks to an invasive species when I was six.” she nodded, hurrying to take point.

“Don’t remember asking…”

“Come on, if we’re gonna be a party we should get to know each other at least a little. You’re allergic to pollen and I’m allergic to scorpion venom.”

Despite it appearing like they’re in an open field, there was a point where the horizon morphed and twisted inward to form a doorway into a new room. In the next room several slimes were bouncing around. Slimes are simple creatures by nature, having simple round shapes and coming in every color of the spectrum. Some rare ones come in plaid, stripes, or polkadots and are popular pets. Before dungeons appeared, slimes weren’t endemic to the human world. When people began taking them as pets, and realized that careless feeding can lead to unprecedented asexual breeding, they got out into the wild where they had no natural predators for years. Slimes present little to no actual threat. At least the species found worldwide doesn’t. It has some cousin species that are definitely dangerous and even lethal. They are also notoriously poor experience fodder, giving a whopping 1EXP per kill.

Cynthia is able to dispatch these run-of-the-mill nuisances in single swings, even at her level. It didn’t take long to reach the usual boss doors, large sapphire blue double doors, which isn’t hard to do anyway as this dungeon isn’t that big. It’s six rooms not counting both the boss room and Treasury, otherwise it’s eight rooms, and one of the few with the boss door very close to the entrance. Just as Cynthia had said, the doors were wide open. Tiberius knelt down by the entrance and made a magic sigil appear on his palm to scan the doorway.

“What’s that?” Cynthia asked as she stabbed a slime without even looking.

“Appraisal magic. If there’s a trap or magical traces I’ll be able to tell.” he replied, checking the full doorway.

“Oh.” she spoke, cutting down another slime.

“Nothing seems wrong here… and I assume you didn’t find the boss key?” he asked.

“I didn’t know that was a thing…” she replied, embarrassed at admitting it.

“All right. Let’s go find it.” he sighed, standing up.

The two then began to check out the other rooms. There were several small blue chests in them containing basic adventurer needs. Minor Health Potions, Minor Mana Potions, and junk equipment that’s better suited for selling than actually using. They soon, soon meaning five minutes after leaving the boss door, came upon a dead end in the left-hand path. Sitting there where a door would normally be was instead a vortex sealing the wall with a large red chest in front of it. The chest had bronze metal trim with white spikes lining them. Cynthia opened it and black mist flew out, starting her. Floating there in an unnatural way was a simply massive key. It was as large as a steak knife. The shaft and teeth were jet black. The teeth resembled the D-shaped blade of an axe. The head of the key was crimson and molded in the shape of a skull.

“Is this the boss key?” Cynthia asked.

“For this dungeon. Every dungeon’s key is unique and only works in that dungeon. Having the boss key is another sign you’ve beaten the boss as well, because it disappears after unlocking the door or leaving the dungeon and reappears in your Treasury loot allowing you to leave with it. This is what allows you to farm the boss if you so choose.” he replied, scanning it as well.

“So if the door’s open is it no good…?” she asked as he put a finger to his chin.

“Nothing is wrong with the key either. I can only suspect something went wrong in the Treasury. So we’re going to try fighting the boss normally.” he answered.

“How do we do that?” she questioned.

“Closing the boss door so it relocks, and then reopening it with the key.” he answered.

“Oh. Well that seems simple enough.”

The two then returned to the boss door and Tiberius closed the doors, pulling them shut. Red chains then flew from the frame to make an X over the door as a massive black lock with horns on the top corners appeared. He then nodded to Cynthia, prompting her to unlock the door. The moment she did the key turned to gold dust that flew into the lock, making it pop off. She then pushed the doors open and entered the room with Tiberius behind her. The door then slammed closed behind them.

“What the?!”

“Calm down, that’s supposed to happen.”

Black mist then began to rush by their feet and gather in the center of the circular room. It rose and expanded until it exploded. From that explosion, a massive entity was revealed. It appeared to be a sentient black cloak with ragged tears and strips of cloth wrapped around its arms and body. The ends of the sleeves had ripped to form clawed hands. Those hands were each armed with a farmer’s scythe.

“I-Is that the Flower Fields boss…?” Cynthia swallowed nervously.

“Not even close. That’s the boss to the Broken Cemetery, The Crypt Keeper. The boss of Flower Fields is supposed to be a Level 5 King of Slimes. The Crypt Keeper is Level 35. What it’s doing here is beyond me.” Tiberius replied, stepping forward.

“What?! I can’t fight that!” she exclaimed.

“I know. Get behind me.” he ordered.

The Crypt Keeper then began to flutter toward them at high speed as he began to cast. First a red magic circle appeared below him, then a blue one at his waist, and last a third green one at his head. He then raised his tome making it open and rapidly flip pages.

“ **_Max Level Paralyze!_ **” he roared.

His green circle then flung itself forward, hit Crypt Keeper, and expanded into a cage that began electrocuting the boss. Its screams were loud, high pitch, and echoed making Cynthia cover her ears.

“ **_Level 3 Deep Freeze!_ **” he roared, sending the blue circle at it.

When that circle hit Crypt Keeper it formed a literal snow and ice tornado. Cynthia watched in real time as it slowly but surely began to turn white and blue while slowing down. Soon it was completely frozen in place and the tornado dissipated.

“It’s frozen solid…”

“Making it take four times the damage from the next fire attack regardless of stats and resistances.” Tiberius grinned.

“Eh?”

“Watch. **_Black Magic Mystic Arte: Brimstone Coffin!_ **” he cast, sending the red circle at the boss.

When the circle reached it, the ground beneath cracked and crumbled making red light shine up. He then clenched his fist making the ground explode with an obscuring pillar of pure crimson flames that had many sub-pillars firing out in random directions all around it. When the spell dissipated naught but ash was left at the Crypt Keeper’s feet. It dropped its scythes as purple ash fell from its body. It then fell to its apparent knees before falling forward to burst into purple energy that flew through the air to reveal a hidden set of red double doors.

“Oh! I’m Level 8 now! A whopping six levels...” Cynthia gasped, checking her guild card in her pocket.

“It didn’t have the same experience rate as the normal Crypt Keeper…? You should have gotten a massive level boost to put you in the high twenties due to how the Handicap Multiplier works. You were Level 2, putting you massively underleveled for that, so the multiplier should have been anywhere from x10 to x15.” he pondered aloud.

“So, how did you know that combo would work?” Cynthia asked.

“Crypt Keeper is highly susceptible to paralysis and has a x2 weakness to fire along with x4 weakness to light. I don’t know any light spells, so I froze him. He’s immune to ice damage, but not immune to freezing. That means in total he took x6 damage to my master level spell without any defences to reduce the damage. Like I said, knowing elements can make solo mage parties possible.” he explained.

The two then made their way through the new set of doors and entered the Treasury. Rather than a field, this room was an actual room made with navy blue bricks. Devil statues holding sconces lit with blue flames lined the left and right sides of the room. In the center was a set of stairs going up to a platform of sorts. Ascending the stairs revealed two large treasure chests on the left and right sides sitting on a red carpet. The chests were both made from brilliantly lacquered dark oak wood with gold metal trim. In the middle of the platform between them was a small altar, and on that altar was a chalice with black liquid in it. The foot and stem of the cup was made from bone and the basin of it was a dark purple metal. He was immediately angered at the sight of that, charged, and swatted it off the altar splashing the liquid on the floor.

“W-What’s wrong?!” Cynthia gasped in shock.

“This dungeon was tampered with!” he roared, smashing the altar.

“T-Tampered…?”

“This is a Cup of Trials. Specifically one only obtainable from the secret room of Lost Crypt, a harder version of the Broken Cemetery. It alters the boss room of a dungeon to have the boss of the dungeon you got it from, albeit scaled down some to the dungeon you’re placing it in. You aren’t allowed to put them in without guild consent, because it normalizes all experiences to this boss. This is also the only instance in which the boss does not naturally respawn, so others can easily pass through the dungeon without fighting the boss at the cost of no rewards.” he explained, picking up the chalice.

“Does that mean the treasure will also be different?” she asked, stepping cautiously toward the left chest.

“You might encounter cursed gear, which are worse than even junk gear until purified, but otherwise they should be as normal.” he answered.

“There are two chests, so I’ll take left and you take right?” she suggested.

“Hmm?”

“We have to split up the take, duh. There’s two of us and two chests, so one each. Fair’s fair.” she beamed.

“ _We’ll divide the gear loot based on our class._ ” a voice spoke in Tiberius’s head.

“Well. Yeah. I guess.” he nodded.

Opening their chests caused bright light to shine out. The chests then spun in circles very fast before transforming into travel packs with gear stuffed inside. It was like Christmas but for adventurers. They decided that before checking their loot they’d report back to the guild.

Mimi was behind the counter looking ever dutiful as they approached. Her mood went from cheery to horrified when he set the cup on the desk.

“Found this illegally placed in Flower Fields. If anyone else thought to fight that boss they’d be in for a bad time. Whose is it?” Tiberius asked.

“T-That will take some time, but we’ll definitely get to the bottom of it. I ask both of you to remain in the guild overnight as the ones who discovered the crime. Oh my gosh, illegal chalice use is a top tier crime… whoever did it risks excommunication...” Mimi nodded rapidly, taking the chalice with her to a back room.

“Overnight at the guild again…? Sure the board is free but the beds aren’t comfy at all...” Cynthia groaned.

“I take it this is a regular occurrence for you.” Tiberius responded.

“I can’t afford inns yet…” she admitted.

“Nothing for it. We may as well go through our loot.” he sighed.

The two sat at a table and opened their reward packs. Cynthia pulled out a single-handed longsword from her pack that didn’t have a guard. The cross guard and pommel were a lovely silver and the handle had red wrapping around it. The blade, however, while it was a shade of grey had black stains all over it and red letters scrawled all over it like a madman had gone to town on it.

“What the…?” Cynthia questioned.

“I know I mentioned cursed gear being a possibility, but I didn’t think you’d actually get one.” he told her.

“Blighted Nun Defiler…? What kind of name is that?!” she cried, looking hurt as she read its stat card.

“All cursed gear have a twisted name like that. It’ll change once purified.” he explained.

She then pulled out a potion bottle that was pitch black. It didn’t have anything in it, the actual bottle was black.

“Spittoon of Venom Fermenting?!” she cried.

“Try to keep it down so we don’t disturb the other adventurers…? Yes, even item containers can be cursed, you don’t have to scream.” Tiberius scolded gently.

“What does it even do?” she whimpered.

“If I had to guess, it’ll turn anything you put in it into venom with a chance to also poison you. Only useful if you want to carry venom around. No telling what kind of venom it’ll be though, or how potent.” he shrugged.

In the end, Cynthia wound up with 3/4ths of her loot being cursed. All of them, naturally, had vulgar, sinister, or disgusting names. The only cursed item Tiberius got was a tome far underneath his level. All the rest were regular gear he had no use for because it was way underleveled for him. Night soon came and they turned in at the guild’s in-house rooming. By morning, the guild would know who illegally tampered with a dungeon possibly endangering other adventurers.


	2. With A Slither Of Luck

Birds chirped as Tiberius slowly stirred from slumber in his room at the guild. He left out a mighty yawn when all of yesterday's events came back to him. His mood immediately soured.

“Right…” he sighed, pinching the bridge between his eyes.

He entered the bathroom to shower and used a spell to have an unseen force to wash his clothes while he was in there. When he stepped out he saw his clothes hanging on the lines outside the window, drying off. He snapped his fingers making them dry off in an instant in a whiff of steam before bringing them back in to get dressed.

“They say you can’t use fire magic for laundry. I guess those people never knew that Flash Dry exists.” he snickered to himself as he adjusted his mantle.

He exited his room with his belongings and could hear a commotion downstairs. Peering over the railings, mages in black cloaks decorated with purple markings had gathered. With them was Aurelia. On their hands and knees before her was a group of adventurers and one mage.

Tiberius fetched Cynthia before going downstairs. It was rare for Aurelia to have a serious look on her face.

“Are they the ones who did it?” Tiberius asked her.

“That’s right. They had nothing but excuses to offer, which just tells me how little thought they put into their little stunt. It’s been some time since I last had someone cry they didn’t mean any harm.” Aurelia answered.

“What’s going to happen to them…?” Cynthia asked.

“They’re being kicked from the guild and placed in jail. We investigated further after the dungeon returned to normal and found the remains of adventurers who’d gone missing. That makes their deaths their responsibility for altering the boss.” she replied.

“Serves them right. They’re lucky it isn’t the death penalty.” Tiberius huffed.

“So are we free to go now?” Cynthia questioned.

“Indeed.” she nodded.

“Good. Let’s hit up the local church… find out if any of your cursed junk is any good.” Tiberius sighed, making for the door.

“How much are purifications?” she asked, following him.

“You make a donation per item you cleanse, so it’s really how generous you’re feeling.” he replied.

The two soon arrived at a quaint church that looked to be in relatively good shape for its neighborhood. Cynthia always feels so at home when entering holy places like this. Along the left and right sides of the main hall were statues of the Eight Deities. Seeing them, Cynthia couldn’t help getting curious.

“Tiberius, which god do you draw mana from?” she asked.

“Malice, Goddess of Shadows. I was born under her star, so like anyone else who shares that trait I have had a natural affinity for black magic since I was a kid. Aurelia and I have the same birthday, a year apart, so she was also born under that star.” he answered.

“Have you heard Malice’s voice before?” she pressed.

“Once. When I cast Brimstone Coffin for the first time, her voice spoke in my head. She basically told me not to get cocky and use that spell with caution. It’s one of the few black magic spells capable of friendly fire.” he replied, heading for the altar where a large pearl-colored fountain with a waterfall back wall rested.

Standing there in front of the fountain was a nun with crimson bangs crowning her face. Her habit was as you could expect of a nun and covered her body head to toe, only showing black slippers beneath.

“Sir Tiberius? Welcome. What service can this lamb of the deities provide to you?” the nun addressed them with a courteous bow.

“We need to purify some things.” he replied, presenting his cursed bottle.

“I see. This church requires a donation per item. Anything you give goes toward keeping this church running.” she smiled.

“I prepared my donation ahead of time.” he nodded.

He then placed a small coin pouch on the nun’s palm making her get a shocked look. Cynthia wasn’t sure why she was so shocked.

“Five thousand guilders in gold coins. I used a guilder converter to get them, that way you aren’t lugging a giant bag of coins to the coffers.” Tiberius sighed.

“You’re so considerate Sir Tiberius, but you didn’t have to go to all that trouble. I’m stronger than I look, promise.” she giggled.

“What a donation…” Cynthia spoke, wide eyed.

“Your donations are your decision. Don’t overextend, only donate what you’re comfortable with. We still have supply shopping to do.” Tiberius instructed.

Tiberius then dunked his cursed tome into the fountain water and the entire body turned white. When he pulled his tome back out it had been completely cleansed of any black and was now a clean crimson. Surprising Cynthia, the book had absolutely no traces of having just been in water. Now it was Cynthia’s turn.

“I-I don’t have the same funds that Tiberius has… is ten guilders per item okay…?” Cynthia asked the nun, fretting about it.

“It’s a splendid donation.” the nun smiled.

Cynthia’s total donation with all her cursed items came out to 100 guilders. Once purified, it turned out that she could only use three of the items. This was baffling as a moment ago all of them were equippable.

“Cursed equipment has no class requirement, but are the absolute worst things to use due to their drawbacks. Any cursed item you get make sure to thoroughly scan them and check out what exactly their curse is. Once purified though, they often have special traits they otherwise wouldn’t have. This reason is why cursed equipment is sometimes farmed.” Tiberius explained.

“This sword’s name changed too…” Cynthia mentioned, looking at the sword that was once Blighted Nun Defiler.

“I already told you the name would change.” he scolded.

“Pure Iron Longsword. What does the trait ‘Ghost Hunter’ mean?” she spoke aloud, scanning it.

“Anything with the prefix ‘Pure’ comes with the ‘Ghost Hunter’ ability. This ability grants the power to damage the incorporeal and deals increased damage to the undead.” the nun explained.

“It’s better than my current sword too. It even matches my level exactly.” she smiled.

“What about the other item you can use?” he asked.

“Blight Charm. That sounds cursed still…” Cynthia replied, holding up a charm of a coiled snake.

“I’m familiar with that item. It’s name sounds bad, but it grants poison resistance. That will actually be helpful for you in Glowing Caves. There are plenty of poison mushrooms and serpents in there.” he told her.

_ >Gear Change: Cynthia _

_Weapon: Pure Iron Longsword+0 (Atk+10, M.Atk+10, Ability: Ghost Hunter)_

_Accessory 2: Blight Charm (Ability: Venom Guard I)_

“Thank you both for your contributions.” the nun bowed.

“You aren’t pushing yourself too hard are you, Abigail?” Tiberius asked.

“Heavens no. The children _can_ be a bit much sometimes, but for the most part they’re little angels.” she assured him.

“I see. Take care of yourself.” he nodded.

When the two exited the church Cynthia became curious about the money converter. She’s only heard about them. Supposedly anyone can use them, but mostly only mages possess them.

“Tiberius… how do money converters work?” she asked him as they walked to the market.

“Exactly how it sounds. You convert guilders of one type to another. To convert bronze guilders to silver you need 50. You’re smart enough to know why, right?” he replied.

“Easy. Fifty bronze is the equivalent of one silver.” she beamed.

“Correct. The same 50:1 ratio rule goes for gold as well. If you know how to convert forward then you know how to convert backward as well. It’s good to have a store of all three types since some places will only accept certain types of guilders. The inn on 3rd Street, for example, only accepts bronze guilders.” he explained.

“We were in the guild all night but you said you used a converter. Does the guild have one?” she asked.

“If you’re Sprout Rank or higher. So you currently can’t use it. Rank up and I’ll at least show you where it is.” he replied.

“Rank Up Exams… those scare me.” she shuddered.

“They aren’t as scary as some of the monsters you’ll find in later dungeons.” he retorted.

When they arrived on Market Street, one of the main five streets in the city’s star-shaped pattern, it was bustling with mercantilism. Everywhere you looked there was someone advertising their products. Some for adventurers, others the common folk, and some niche use items. There were food stalls as well that plagued the air with delicious smells that’d make even an adventurer with a full stomach hungry again in an instant.

The duo turned down an alley and then Tiberius made a sudden left and seemed to vanish. Cynthia stopped in her tracks looking around.

“Tiberius…? Where’d you go?” she called out.

“I’m right here.” he replied.

“What do you mean? I can’t see you.” she called back.

“The wall.” he sighed.

She looked and he poked his head out from the right appearing to be doing a magic trick.

“How are you doing that?!” she gasped in shock.

“You might think it’s magic, but it’s actually just an optical illusion caused by building this wall to perfectly align with the one behind it. Merchants use this trick when they only want customers in the know to shop in their store. The black market is similar.” he explained.

“Oh.” she swallowed nervously.

She followed him and this time stayed very close as they got to a marble staircase. Descending the stairs they eventually came to a simple wooden door with a metal support in the middle. There seemed to be a fog around this little area. Above and to the left of the door attached to the wall was a gargoyle. Hanging from a ring held in its mouth was a sign reading “The Secret Gargoyle”. Tiberius opened the door and a flood of fog poured out, startling Cynthia.

“Get in quick, before the owner gets pissed that we’re letting out the hydration mist.” he ordered, prompting Cynthia to hurry in so he can close the door behind them.

Inside the shop looked gothic with an antique shop feel. The floors had purple carpets along the center. There were shelves and desks that had all kinds of apparel and adventure equipment on them. This place had everything from nicknacks to collectables. There were even consumable items not sold in this kingdom in here, such as Ogre Soup which temporarily grants the user the herculean strength of an ogre. Tastes revolting, but highly effective in a pinch if you can hold it down.

Up three stairs was a more spherical room which had even more things on more shelves. At the very back of the room was an extravagant bed with a black finish frame and purple bed covers. It had large pillows that screamed of their softness all over it and around it. Laying on their side on the bed was a well endowed woman bearing very long untidy pink hair, like, really long, running off of the bed long. She had dark tan skin with black tattoos all over her arms and legs. She was dressed in a thigh length purple nightgown and was using a pipe that seemed to be the source of the fog. The first thing Cynthia noticed was her ears. They were very long and pointy. She was a dark elf! Wood elves have pointy ears slightly longer than a human’s, but dark elves are known for their super long ears, tattoos, and dark skin.

“If that Tibsy who graces my store…? I haven’t seen you since you said that you were leaving with the hero’s party...” the dark elf giggled, blowing out more fog.

“Tibsy?” Cynthia questioned, dumbfounded.

“Her pet name for me. This is Emeraude Talka Mizoro, owner of Gargoyle's Secret. She’s an old friend of my mother’s. She told her that if anything happens to her or my father that she’s to look after me. Saying that to anyone is a self-fulfilling prophecy if you ask me...” he introduced her.

“Yes, I looked after my dear little Tibsy from when he was seven all the way until he was sixteen and suddenly told me he’s traveling with the hero. Judging by the fact he’s here, my predictions were correct and things didn’t work out.” Emeraude sighed.

“I’ve actually been back for five years now, Emeraude…” he told her.

“Oh?”

Cynthia blinked, and Tiberius was suddenly on the floor making her jump. Lying by his head was a purple slipper. On Tiberius’s face was a mark in the shape of said slipper.

“W-What the?!”

“I deserve that.” he sighed, nonchalantly getting up.

“You’re damn right you do.” Emeraude huffed.

Cynthia blinked again, and suddenly Emeraude was hugging Tiberius showing that she is in fact a very tall dark elf standing at six foot four. That meant that her bed must be enormous up close to let her lay on it with nothing but her hair hanging off.

“You made me a promise that when you came back you’d come straight home.” Emeraude grumbled, pouting.

“I wasn’t in the right headspace to deal with your flirtatious nature. We aren’t here to reminisce though, we’re here to sell our junk.” he told her with a straight face.

“We? Oh, so this cutie here is with you? I’m surprised that you’d party with someone so green…” Emeraude replied, taking notice of Cynthia prompting her to get nervous.

Cynthia blinked again and now she was the one being hugged and felt over by the tall elf. She’d never been felt this way except for when she was little and inspected by her father after falling into a bramble bush.

“My, my. I can tell that you work out. Slim but fit figure, defined abdominals, and slightly broad shoulders for a girl your age. You hail from a family of fighters and healers, so it was a situation of either sticking your nose in a book or learning to fight. Four brothers… and a younger sister?” Emeraude appraised her.

“Y-You learned all that just from feeling me up?!” Cynthia exclaimed.

“She’s referred to as a Touch Seer, she can learn an entire person’s life just by touching them for a prolonged period. When she was touching me she was actually learning everything I did after leaving home. The slightest oddity in your figure can tell her a lot about you.” Tiberius explained.

“Poor dear, your father was so strict. He didn’t approve of you becoming a magic knight, so you went behind his back and got your mother to sign your sponsorship papers…” Emeraude frowned sympathetically.

“He wanted me to be a berserker… but those armor sets barely cover anything, and the training regime was too extreme for me to begin with. I get my frame from mom’s side of the family so I also had a height disadvantage in sparring matches with my brothers.” she nodded sadly.

“Well I’d say you’re doing well for yourself thus far, despite the near miss with that Crypt Keeper. A good thing Tibsy was there to pull your tail from the fire.” she smiled.

“Emeraude, we need to sell our junk so we can shop for actually good gear, so can you kindly exit mom mode for now?” Tiberius demanded impatiently.

“Very well.” she sighed, snapping her fingers.

A table then moved on its own and slid toward them. On it was a strange scale. It was very large and the centerpiece holding the scales was shaped like a gargoyle. Emeraude gestured to the left scale and Tiberius placed his useless items on first, naturally making the scale tip. A light then began to emit from the right scale as guilders began to appear. Slowly but surely the scale began to try and balance out.

“There we are. For these items I will pay 50 bronze guilders.” Emeraude told him, blowing fog from her pipe.

“Convert it to silver please.” he requested.

“Very well.” she nodded, snapping her fingers.

In a puff of light, the copper turned to a single silver coin. Despite that, the scale did not move. He retrieved his coin and the items he sold vanished in a whiff of smoke.

“W-Where’d they go!?” Cynthia gasped.

“My vault, where I will decide how to put them back on the market. My scale is enchanted, you see. It’s a merchant’s best friend, right next to anti-theft magic. You place the items on one side of the scale and it values each item, placing their sell value on the other side. This prevents me from under or overestimating an item’s worth, so you will always get your maximum sell amount with my store.” Emeraude explained.

Cynthia then placed her junk on the scale and it almost touched the table from how much she had in the pack she was carrying. The scale then began slowly balancing it with money. Cynthia noticed there were quite a few pieces of silver on it. When it finally finished there was quite a pile.

“C-Can I have that converted to the highest value, please?” Cynthia asked her.

“Naturally.” she winked, snapping her fingers again.

In another puff of light, the mound had drastically become smaller.

“There you go. Twenty silver and two gold guilders.” Emeraude smiled.

“Thank you.” Cynthia smiled, bagging her money.

“The regular shops won’t have anything armor wise for a mage knight until they hit Level 20. Do you have anything that’d be good for her?” Tiberius asked her.

“She’s Level 8, so I think I have just the set. It will at least hold her until she’s Level 15.” she grinned.

Leading the two to a pair of white double doors, opening them revealed a huge walk-in closet of armor sets. They were all separated by class too with their price tags prominently displayed. On the left side they soon came upon Magic Knight. The third set Emeraude pulled off the rail. The pants looked similar to Cynthia’s current pair, just with padded knees. It exchanged the shirt and vest for a light suit of chainmail with a green vest. The gloves of this outfit had metal plating on the backs and texture on the palms for grip. The boots also had some extra armor plating on top of the toes.

“I give you the Mage Squire Set. Providing good protection from both physical and magical attacks, with just a hint of resistance to fire, water, and electricity. The only caveat is unlike your adventure garb which comes auto-equipped with a buckler, you’ll need to actually get a shield.” Emeraude explained the outfit.

“Let’s see, it’s 200 copper, so that’s 4 silver. I can more than afford that.” Cynthia worked out, looking at its tag.

“Wonderful. Before you pay, let’s go look at shields. Any dps class’s defense is only as good as their shield, as they say.” Emeraude giggled, snapping her fingers to make the armor levitate and follow behind her.

She then led Cynthia to a hall that seemed dedicated to shields. They came in all sizes. Bucklers, kites, bouches, heaters, pavise, targe, bracers, sigils, folding shields, and even elemental. One shield that stood out to her was a buckler in the shape of a slime. It was red and shined in the light. She could almost swear it had eye slits on it.

“Oh, does the Slimed Parry Shield interest you?” Emeraude asked, making her flinch.

“It just… looks pretty interesting. It’s like it’s an actual slime.” she replied.

“Most would tell you that it’s your imagination, but good merchants know the truth. That actually _is_ a slime. It’s a ruby slime that was very naughty and ate a blessed parry shield. The gods punished it for defiling such a holy item by striking it with holy lightning to form this shield. Thus is a ‘Slime Item’ born. It is also part of a set, the Ruby Slime Set to be precise. Collecting enough pieces will grant you bonus benefits.” Emeraude explained to her in detail.

“S-So it’s alive…?” she question nervously.

“Do not fear, for it is friendly to you. It also can’t do much in its current position. You’d have to leave your arm or fingers on its mouth for it to actually attack you, it’s lost its ability to shift form you see. This particular shield is so hard, thanks to being a ruby slime, that you don’t have to perfectly parry a foe to be able to inflict riposte damage. Most attacks bounce right off. Even if you don’t parry it is still quite reliable for blocking attacks, and it’s self-repairing so no need to pay blacksmiths to fix it up. The only possible issue is if you are scared that people will judge you for using a Slime Item, as they’re considered ‘training wheels’ by many.” Emeraude continued her explanation.

“Well… I _am_ still in training at the moment, being just Soil Rank. Five silver isn’t bad for an item of its rarity either.” Cynthia spoke, thinking about it.

“How about this? I’ll offer both this armor set and the shield as a bundle for a special offer of five silver? You would be paying nine silver in total if you buy them separately.” Emeraude offered.

“Oh my… that’s very generous.” she gasped.

“Unlike other merchants, Emeraude won’t try to screw you over. Her customer service keeps her veteran patrons coming back, along with new ones that get introduced to her.” Tiberius told her.

“In that case, I won’t refuse such a generous offer.” Cynthia smiled.

“Splendid!” Emeraude beamed.

After paying, Emeraude showed her to the dressing room so she can put on her new gear. When she took off her vest her buckler vanished, showing it really does just come with the armor. In fact, a pair of black tights under her pants and her white shirt were the only things not classified as armor on her. She then put on her new duds piece by piece. Her shirt would keep the chainmail from giving her chills, that was for sure. It was lighter than she was expecting too and her hair didn’t get caught in the links as she slipped it on either. The vest to the chainmail slid on just as easily. Last was equipping her new shield. Practicing her block stance, the slime would open its eyes showing they’re sky blue whenever she would hold it up. Once she was changed she put her old armor set in her pack.

_ >Gear Change: Cynthia _

_Sub: Ruby Slime Parry Shield+0 (Df+10, M.Df+13, Ability: Late Parry II)_

_Body: Magic Squire Armor+0 (Df+12, M.Df+12, Fire Resist+, Water Resist+, Lightning Resist+)_

_Feet: Magic Squire Boots+0 (Df+4, M.Df+4, Fire Resist+, Water Resist+, Lightning Resist+)_

“How do I look?” Cynthia asked as she stepped out of the dressing room.

“Like you have a bit more experience now.” Tiberius replied.

“Tibsy, you can be kinder with your compliments. You look wonderful, dear.” Emeraude scoffed.

“I question why it doesn’t come with a helmet though… I know that later sets do, but the early ones don’t.” Cynthia questioned.

“Magic Knight sets provide enough defense that helmets generally aren’t needed.” Tiberius explained.

“I wish you luck supply shopping.” Emeraude beamed.

“Go on ahead Cynthia. I have something to discuss with Emeraude before I leave.” Tiberius told her.

“Okay.” she nodded, trotting along.

“It’s about the hero’s party isn’t it?” Emeraude asked.

“You saw everything I went through. I wasn’t imagining it was I…? Freaking out because I’m normally introverted…?” he replied, looking serious.

“Not a single claim. When Aurelia reports her findings from your reports I will provide Seer’s Insight in their investigation personally. Fear not, you didn’t imagine it. Was your anxiety nagging at you?” Emeraude replied.

“Just a bad feeling I had. You know how I get sometimes. It’s why I didn’t press anything then and there five years ago.” he told her.

“Remember, just because you live on your own now doesn’t mean my door is closed. If you need to talk I will close up shop to sit down with you.” Emeraude told him with a sincere smile.

“Thanks... Emmy.” he smiled meekly before starting to leave.

“There’s the nickname from childhood… my name was too difficult for you to say at the time.” she giggled.

Tiberius soon rejoined Cynthia in the market. She was getting health potions, since she’s already stocked on mana potions. Once their shopping was done they caught a coach heading for Glowing Cavern. The entrance to this dungeon is actually in the middle of a small farming village named Shool. Not many visited Shool until the dungeon was discovered. The entrance’s appearance is very unassuming, you’d walk right by it if you didn’t know it was there. The large well in the center of town, due to a distortion in the lowest part, serves as the dungeon entrance. The villagers had to make new wells around town because of this, but other than that inconvenience have seen plenty more trade helping them thrive.

When they arrived the children of the village came running to greet them, catching Cynthia off guard. They recognized Tiberius and grew very excited.

“ **_Willow Dance_ **.” he cast, forming a small magic circle on his palm that made ashes appear.

He then blew them from his hand igniting them into small balls of flame that began to dance about, entertaining the kids. Tiberius was moving his hand like a conductor, making the wisps perform tricks and dance formations. The kids were eating the act up. He eventually made the wisps all come to his palm and form a large flame that he smooshed with his other hand. He then thrust his hands into the air, sending a big blast of flames akin to a firework into the air, leaving the kids starstruck.

“That was amazing!” Cynthia exclaimed.

“Everyone loves trick pyromancy…” he smirked, dusting his palm off on his mantle.

The two then approached the hand-made lift that now spanned the length of the well. Sitting outside of it was a little boy dressed like a jester, facepaint and all, who looked quite glum. Tiberius walked on by, but Cynthia didn’t have the heart.

“Is something wrong?” she asked him, kneeling down.

“My friend went into the dungeon with a so-called ‘legend in the making’ and hasn’t come back… even though that phony came running back out with his tail between his legs.” the boy sniffled.

“Oh dear…” Cynthia gasped.

“Tough luck about your friend.” Tiberius told him.

“Tiberius, is it possible to go look for his friend?” Cynthia asked him.

“Was your friend the party leader or that faker…” Tiberius asked the boy, sighing.

“The fake. I’m pretty sure they dissolved the party, so he should appear in all instances of the dungeon as a missing person…” he sniffled.

“We’ll look for him as we clear the dungeon, I promise.” Cynthia assured him.

“Anything we should look for…? Things we can identify him with if the worst is to be assumed…?” Tiberius asked, looking annoyed.

“He always carries a sitar around, has the voice of an angel that can single tenor or falsetto, and has a habit of breaking into song when he’s in trouble.” the boy replied.

“A bard…” Tiberius groaned, slouching.

“Does he have a name?” Cynthia asked.

“Angelo the Evangelist of Song. He’s still working on his title.” the boy answered.

“Let’s go, Tiberius. He needs our help.” Cynthia urged him.

“It had to be a bard…” Tiberius huffed, activating the lift.

“Is something wrong with bards?” Cynthia asked him.

“The hero’s party has a bard… and he single handedly made me hate bards. He never stops singing… even his snoring sounds musical… it was unbearable...” he replied, looking very displeased.

“Well… I can’t deny that there are some… _irritating_ bards… but not all of them are bad. Like Michaelangelo from my hometown. He’s a great bard. His stories were always wonderful to hear, and unlike many bards I’ve met he knows when and when not to start singing.” Cynthia told him.

Soon the lift stopped with a very wet splat. Ahead of them was a cave path illuminated by glowing algae underneath a small layer of water. Droplets were dripping down from the stalactites on the ceiling, making a sort of ambient tune.

_Underbelly of Shool, Glowing Cavern (Rec.Lvl: 5)_

“The algae makes it easy to see. Here I thought I’d need to buy a torch.” Cynthia smiled.

“Not every part of the cave is lit up. In some places the algae is worn out too, making it not as bright. Keep close when we get to dark rooms like that so we don’t get ambushed before I can cast Illuminate.” Tiberius ordered.

The cave seemed to mostly be populated by large snake monsters known as Hissers. They can be as small as a burmese python and get to be large enough to swallow a grown man in a single bite. Rather than having poison or venom glands for injecting, Hissers spray a fast-moving cloud of poison from a special gland in the back of their mouth to inflict poison on targets. They are a cave-dwelling species and thus come in several shades of gray and some green to blend in with walls and algae. Dealing with Hissers is generally summed up as taking off the head before they can spew any poison while trying not to get grappled. Their poison organs fetch a nice price, since they can be used to make a cure for their poison. The sweet spot to cut if you’re trying to harvest this organ in the best state possible is just a few inches down its neck as the organ is in actuality quite large. Despite their damp environment, the reptiles are actually weak to fire.

Tiberius was easily able to flay any that tried to sneak up on Cynthia with a fireball. The fact he didn’t need incantations told just how skilled Tiberius was with spells. It actually got her curious.

“How come you don’t use incantations?” Cynthia asked.

“That’s thanks to my staff’s ability, Short Cast III. It lets me instantly cast spells without incantation, as long as I already know them, at the cost of reducing spell power by about 20%. The upside of doing this isn’t just damage per second output, but the spells have a reduced mana cost too, letting me stay in the fight longer. I got it from clearing Elderlitch Castle with my previous party. One of the few things of value I actually got… though that wasn’t on them. I’ve always had bad luck. I would need at least partial incantations if I weren’t using this.” he explained.

“Oh, so it’s a Shortcut Weapon. Those are really rare.” Cynthia pointed out.

“You have no idea… I have Serpent’s Lair memorized by heart with how many times we reran that dungeon for one singular shortcut weapon…” he groaned.

Making their way in further they soon ran into their first dark room. Inside they could hear the hisses of Hissers, the telltale sign they’re moving about using the dark to their advantage. Tiberius knew he said to stay close, but Cynthia was literally right up on him holding her shield up. He didn’t mind her being in defense formation though. It was better than what his old defender would do.

“ **_Illuminate_ **.”

His staff then fire a small ball of light into the room. It then exploded to light up the entire room, staying around to keep it lit. The Hissers and Giant Bats inside scattered, flipping out. The two took that chance to run in and clean house. No sign of the bard, but there was a chest containing some antidotes. 

Further in they kept finding dark rooms containing everything but the bard they were looking for. Eventually they reached ankle deep water and entered a very large room that had algae all over the walls and ceiling too. There were no enemies, but many giant purple-speckled eggs all over. There was a left-hand path and an upward path. At the top of the upward path was a door covered in chains with no lock.

“Why is that door locked?” Cynthia asked.

“Simple. This is the boss room… but we haven’t entered it properly.” Tiberius told her.

“Huh…?”

“Some dungeons have what’s known as a False Repose Room. This room is safe, despite these Hisser Eggs being here, until we enter from a very specific point. For Glowing Cavern, this room is both a False Repose Room and the Boss Room. We’ll eventually enter from that door, and when we do it’ll be boss time.” he explained.

“So, should we destroy the eggs ahead of time?” Cynthia asked.

“Can you stomach killing unborn Hissers? Besides, the smell that comes out once those eggs break is… unpleasant, to put it mildly.” he replied.

“Yeah… it would be pretty immoral… monsters are just wildlife of the netherworld.” she groaned.

“Even if these are technically bastardized versions of Hissers. I’ve seen a True Hisser, one unchanged by our world’s mana, and it was one ugly mother…” he sighed.

They two continued through the only path available and came across lizard folk monsters known as Snakoids. They wield crudely made slabs of rock for clubs and wear the hide of whatever they hunt for clothing. Their scales come in green, blue, yellow, and brown. You can tell a female from a male by size, scale pattern, and how smooth their body is. Females are very smooth, often larger than males, and always without exception have a diamond pattern to their scales. They like dual wielding as well. Males tend to have rougher, more rigid, bodies with zigzag patterns to their scales. The gaze of a female can temporarily paralyze you if you stare too long too. They have a venomous bite that they utilize in combat too.

Against a Snakoid, Cynthia tested her shield’s parry ability. When she knocked it off balance, falling to one knee after, she was almost too stunned by the successful parry to deliver a decisive blow before it could recover. Landing that riposte damage made her heart pound. In a single blow she took it out.

“Riposte deals x2 damage, on top of ignoring their defense. It can be handy for particularly tanky monsters.” Tiberius told her.

Deeper in, they could faintly hear singing. It had no accompanying music. They could also faintly hear a mechanism of some kind. Cautiously hurrying to the sound, they came across a Snakoid camp. Being spit roast over a fire was the source of the singing. A young man with messy brown hair, tan skin, and baby blue eyes. He was dressed in dark brown pointed shoes, black hide pants with a red belt through the loops, a blue blouse, and a black vest over the top of the blouse.

“We’re just in time.” Cynthia gasped.

“We could just leave him… but you promised the kid.” Tiberius sighed.

The two charged in and quickly began to dispatch the Snakoids, causing a ruckus in the camp. After the coast was clear they doused the fire and untied the bard.

“Oh, thank you thank you thank you, I thought my goose was cooked… The savages didn’t even bother to spice me, anyway. I’d have tasted terrible.” he sighed, fetching a finely crafted wooden sitar from one of the brute’s packs.

“So, are you Angelo?” Cynthia asked.

“Hmm, mon cheri? Yes, I am he! The greatest bard the world has ever known! Well… at least I will be someday.” he introduced himself, theatrically spinning to stop in a dramatic pose.

“Your friend asked us to come rescue you.” Cynthia smiled.

“Ah, little Robert is still sticking around, is he? I am touched by his faith that I didn’t end up a snack. Lesson learned, if someone says they’re a great warrior, run a background check before agreeing to follow them into a dungeon…” he smiled, fetching a red beanie from another Snakoid’s pack to place on his head.

“Okay, let’s find the boss key and get out of here.” Tiberius sighed.

“No need! I happened to swipe this before I got bit and paralyzed.” he smirked, reaching into his vest pocket.

He then presented a pitch black key. The teeth looked like a snake’s fangs, and the backmost part was a blue snake forming a figure eight.

“The boss key!” Cynthia gasped.

“Yes, and as my former partner is incompetent, I shall give the key to you, my dear.” he smiled, bowing with one leg extended as he handed it to her.

“Great. Let’s get going before more Snakoids show up.” Tiberius sighed.

The trio made for the boss door and Angelo couldn’t help staring at Tiberius. They were right at the boss door when he finally worked up some nerve while Cynthia unlocked the door.

“Say, your visage seems familiar… have I seen you somewhere before…?” Angelo asked, tuning his sitar.

“If you start singing, I swear to Malice…” he grumbled.

“It’s open.” Cynthia smiled.

The trio then entered the boss room. Both doors then sealed as black mist rushed to the center of the room. It vanished and nothing seemed amiss, until the ground started to rumble. From a corner of the room, a colossal Hisser burst through the ground and began to circle the room’s border. It was thick as a wagon and had resplendent blue and red scales in a spade-shaped pattern. Its eye sockets had horn-like black scales on them giving it the illusion of eye lashes. When it opened its mouth it had not two fangs, but four sets of fangs in line with each other. On the end of its tail, compared to regular Hissers, was a twelve segment rattle.

“A bite from her wouldn’t be pleasant.” Angelo stated.

“It’s a Spade Queen Hisser. On your toes, she can spit poison clouds too and in greater volume.” Tiberius warned.

The fighting began and near immediately some of the Hisser eggs began to hatch, and the hatchlings began to attack them. Angelo had a dagger hidden in his vest to defend himself with thankfully, so he wasn’t a damsel at the very least. The hatchlings weren’t capable of breathing poison either, so that was a plus. That being said, the Queen Hisser kept sectioning off parts of the room by spewing a massive cloud of poison.

Slashing into her gargantuan body hardly seemed to do anything but make her angry. She loved to spin around the room to kick up water and algae to make vision a bit tougher. After a while Tiberius had to cast Illuminate so they could see. The flash startled the Queen Hisser for a bit allowing them to attack her uninterrupted for a small while.

“Watch her tail!” he warned just as Angelo got swatted by it, making him smack against the queen’s body.

He let out a pained whine as Tiberius helped him up. Putting his sitar over his shoulder via the strap, Angelo pulled a flute from his sleeve. He then played a short tune that made Tiberius cover his ears.

“Sorry. I don’t have to use this very often.”

He then began to play a tune as he performed a kicking dance toward the center. The Queen Hisser hissed loudly at him, seemingly outraged by the display. The newborns, however, were absolutely charmed by the sound. They happily swayed side to side as he continued his tune, even if several times he went off-key and sounded sour. This allowed Cynthia to keep fighting with the queen, dodging attempts to snap her up or poison her. The sound was driving Tiberius up the wall though. It was getting to him to the point that he couldn’t even think or cast. After a bit he couldn’t take it anymore.

“ **_By The Fury Of Satana, I Condemn Thee To Ash, Burn And Begone To The Hell Thou Came From: Meteor!_ **” he screamed in pure fury.

Flames then burst from the ground to form a huge flaming mass above. It then descended, making Angelo stop playing and flee to Cynthia’s side, and burned a crater into the floor before exploding, bathing the room in flames. The spell had even razed the algae from the room, making it pitch black.

“Mon cheri, you wouldn’t happen to have a torch would you?”

“D-Did that end it…?”

“ **_Fade Out The Night: Illuminate._ **”

Light was once more returned to the room at Tiberius’s casting. The newborn Hissers and even the Queen Hisser were gone. Nothing but ash was left in the room. When the doors opened again water began to flow back into the room and instantly began to boil, letting up steam.

“Peace at last…” Tiberius sighed, rubbing his temples.

“Apologies. I’m pretty rusty with the flute. I can promise you that I won’t mess up notes on my sitar.” Angelo smiled apologetically.

“No. Music. Not right now.” he growled.

“So… where’s the Treasury?” she asked.

“Down the hole the queen came from.” Tiberius replied, trying to keep his cool.

The trio descended into the hole and soon came across double doors with snake carvings on it. Entering the room and ascending the stairs, two chests were there. Behind them chests was a large glowing yellow crystal that seemed to levitate and spin very slowly. This is referred to as a Warp Crystal, and is a one-way trip back to the start of the dungeon. Almost all dungeons that are longer than ten rooms have one. It really helps for adventurers who chose to skip clearing rooms to run for the boss.

“Only two?” Cynthia questioned.

“I am but a guest party member, mon cheri. I do not get rewards as I am not an official party member. It may seem unfair that I am not rewarded for helping with the boss, but getting out of here with my neck intact is more than enough at the present moment.” Angelo explained.

“Loot time.” Tiberius sighed, looking at least a bit happier.

They opened their respective chests and Cynthia yelped loudly as something popped out of hers. In her hands was now an egg with wings seemingly drawn on. It then hatched and a very long purple snake with red eyes and pink wings slithered from it, up her arm, and coiled loosely around her shoulders. Around its neck was a red collar with a tag dangling from it.

“Oh my my, you got a Pet with your loot. Those are one of the rarest drops from dungeons.” Angelo told her.

“What is it?” Cynthia giggled as it flicked its tongue on her nose.

“It’s a baby Quetzal, short for Queztalcoatl. The big Quetzalcoatls are high level monsters found in dungeons Level 50 and higher. Serpent’s Lair is littered with them, so I’m quite familiar.” Tiberius answered.

“Pet monsters like this will never grow beyond a certain size. It keeps them manageable, you see. They are also eternally loyal to you.” Angelo added.

“Let’s take the rest of our loot and go.” Tiberius sighed.

After getting everything into the packs that all chests mysteriously come with, they touched the warp crystal behind the chests to warp back to the lift. When they got back up the boy leapt to Angelo, huggin his waist.

“You’re safe!” he cried.

“Thanks to mon cheri and Sir Tiberius L. Morrigan.” Angelo smiled, patting his head.

“Why say his full name?” Cynthia tilted her head.

“Why? He is _the_ Sir Tiberius! The only black mage in history to flay a Brimstone Dragon using fire magic without first damaging its scales! Bard’s tales about the power of his magic are legendary! Here, allow me to play you one.” Angelo gushed, grabbing his sitar.

“You’ll be flayed next if you so much as strum a single string on that sitar right now… I still have a migraine from your ‘performance’ earlier.” Tiberius threatened, making him freeze.

“You played the flute didn’t you?” Robert frowned.

“There were snakes, I charmed them, I helped.” he tried to justify himself.

“Well, let’s go back to the guild in Martyr Maria to show them your key.” Tiberius sighed, pulling Cynthia along.

“Ah, we need to head that way ourselves.” Angelo smiled.

“Wonderful…” Tiberius grumbled.

“Come on, he’s a nice enough guy.” Cynthia giggled.

Meanwhile, in the Jet Black Forest, a group was resting after a hard fought victory inside of a dungeon. Their appearances were being hidden by the gloom of the forest. One of the members with a hood was standing in front of the others.

“I apologize, but I must return to the Magician’s College for a time. I have received an urgent summons that demands my presence.” they spoke in a girl’s voice.

“What the…? You’re like the sixth black mage we’ve recruited that got called back there.” the one with a greatsword on their back huffed.

“Is something going on with the college?” the one with a spear asked.

“I am unsure. The summons only said that I am to return before the ‘morrow. I will be sure to inform you of the situation as soon as I am able.” the apparent black mage replied.

“We’ll make do without you and wait to hear back. I’ll have Boid waiting at the guild in town.” a woman’s voice came from the one with a longsword.

“Again, I apologize for the inconvenience. Please excuse me.” the black mage apologized, bowing respectfully before taking her leave.

“Why do I gotta wait? Make Korra wait.” the one without any apparent weapons asked the woman.

“Screw you.” the spear wielder huffed.

“You’ll wait because I told you to. Or do you have a problem with listening to the hero…?” the woman growled.

“No ma’am…” he sighed, slouching.


End file.
